Homonyms

[vettecat]

En route to work this morning I was listening to the Temptations' Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. One line in that song always catches me: Is it "and when he died, all he left us was..." "alone" or "a loan"? I'm never sure. I could look it up, but what I really wonder is whether the ambiguity was intentional...

Comments

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

It's "alone". Who knows if it was trying to be clever? As it is, it's powerful.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

+1

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Absolutely - it's an amazing song. I just wonder whether I'm the only one who hears it both ways.